Thursday, July 11, 2013
Doctors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center want to make sure children are safe this summer when they are playing in or around water.
Parents need to watch their children closely when they are around water, according to Wendy Pomerantz, MD, an emergency department physician at Cincinnati Children’s and one of the coordinators for the Comprehensive Children’s Injury Center.
“Children can drown in even the smallest body of water, including toilets, decorative fountains, portable pools, buckets and bath tubs,” she said. “Anytime you have a standing body of water that is accessible, make sure you supervise your child at all times.”
Drowning rates have fallen steadily over the past 25 years, but drowning continues to be the second leading cause of injury-related death for children ages 1 to 18.
Dr. Pomerantz and the American Academy of Pediatrics give the following tips on how children can stay safe while playing around water:
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center ranks third in the nation among all Honor Roll hospitals in U.S.News and World Report’s 2013 Best Children’s Hospitals ranking. It is ranked #1 for cancer and in the top 10 for nine of 10 pediatric specialties. Cincinnati Children’s is one of the top two recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health, and a research and teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The medical center is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org. Connect on the Cincinnati Children’s blog, via Facebook and on Twitter.